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100 INSITE AUTUMN 2011
mirrors, poufs, giant mirrors, pots and a
daybed. It’s all casual, elegant and tough.”
When asked why he opted to concentrate
on occasional pieces, he says that’s what
people are always hunting for. “Also, there
was a big gap in the indoor-outdoor market,
which is how we live here. You can eat outside
for up to 10 months of the year. But it was
really hard to get reasonably priced outdoor
furniture – it was either cheap and cheerful
or you had to pay a fortune.”
He also ensured the pieces had universal
appeal, creating a form that can be tailored
to different environments. He points to the
daybed: “There’s a rusted, raw-steel version
teamed with linen cushions for a French feel;
another is powder-coated white and in a
blue-and-white striped canvas for a nautical
look; and another is in stainless steel with
leather for a strong, contemporary finish.
So, it’s a well-designed piece, but how you
finish it will completely change the look.”
It’s the same with the side tables. “They
can be raw steel with a polished concrete top,
but put a Carrera marble top on it and it takes
it to a whole different level. It’s great next to
a contemporary leather sofa or an old Louis
chair. And that’s what I wanted to do – not
make the piece a feature, but more something
you can integrate into most environments.”
And that design approach sums up his
philosophy in his main line of business:
creating beautiful interiors. Rather than
stamping his style onto a home, he integrates
past and present, then takes his clients into
the future. It’s very much an editing and
storytelling approach, with a lot of detective
work thrown in.
Jeremy’s path into the design industry
has been a winding one. He grew up in
hospitality, living in his parents’ hotels in
Perth and Exmouth. “Growing up in a hotel
was fun and exciting, the backyard was the
beer garden and I went to bed to the sound of
bands, which I loved,” he laughs.
Not knowing what he wanted to do when
leaving school, he walked the obvious route
into a hotel management course. “In those
days [1981], there wasn’t an interior design
course in WA. And it wasn’t an option for
boys at a private school,” he says. That
foray lasted eight weeks before he packed
his bags and headed for the United States,
Canada and Asia. He headed home six
months later and returned to university
where he did a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in
communications and comparative literature.
“Go figure!” he quips.
It was when he graduated that the
opportunity presented itself to change the
course of his life and lay the foundations of
what was to come: launching the Bond-
owned San Lorenzo restaurant in Claremont
during the “halcyon eighties”. “I rang Russell
Blaikie who was working at the Dorchester
in London and said, ‘Do you want to return
to Perth and set up a restaurant?’ I was 23
and he was 24,” he says.
“I was lucky enough to work with a
fabulous architect called Louise St John
Kennedy. She was one of the leading
architects in the 80s. She was amazing and
a very inspiring lady, and she included us
in the whole process. We also worked with
another designer called Garth Barnett from
Sydney. So, it was a combination of all of
us. Russell and I would jump on a plane
and go to Sydney or Melbourne to buy
the cutlery and crockery.”
That was his first step into design. From
there, he travelled through Europe and
dabbled in a cafe down south before setting
up a garden shop in Subiaco. “It was called
Garden Graphics. It was 1993–96. I tried to
STYLE SECRETS
Jeremy Monaghan shares his interior aesthetic
detective work. Plus, I have built up contacts in
Perth, nationally and internationally over many years.
What’s your advice to clients? I want people to live in
their houses and enjoy things; I guess it is being true to
themselves and how they live.
What/who inspires you? Patrick Blanc, Christian
Liaigre... I also get inspired by Rottnest and any travel
– I immerse myself in culture – and movies. All sorts
of things. I am always thinking and looking. And I
love being inspired by other creative people and
collaborating. I’ve been really lucky to work with
some extremely creative people.
Favourite materials? I love using lots of natural products.
Noble and humble materials, such as brass, copper,
leather, timber, linen... more masculine things. I love the
layering of tones and textures. And I love juxtaposition:
combining high-end luxury with everyday objects.
How do you build your look? I use a combination of
neutrals as the base, then bring in character pieces to
introduce individuality. That could be Grandma’s old
painting or a new feature light flown in from Italy.
How do you source your product? I am a magazine
junkie and trawl the internet. Also, many of my clients
may give me a picture and I have to source it. It is a bit of
UP CLOSE designer
Jeremy, inspired by Patrick
Blanc, created this garden
wall for a client in Singapore
to interact visually with the
kitchen. ABOVE This Per th
interior brings together new
and sentimental pieces. TOP
A coffee table from his range.